Inspired by new experimental German hops, our brewing team is celebrating our 17th Jahrestag by taking palates on an unconventional tour of Deutschland by way of Southern California. In doing so, we used a grain bill comprised exclusively of pilsner malts and German hops with crazy awesome names: Herkules, Hersbrucker, Magnum, Merkur, Opal, Smaragd & Strisselspalt. Dry-hopping with Sterling, a U.S. hop with Saaz parentage, lends a bit of familiarity, but be forewarned, this is a unique beer that takes the IPA–a style we've already pushed far beyond it's previous limits over the years–to interesting new territory.

Reviews by CHADMC3:

Pours a rich golden body with only faint hints of light passing through the golden hues beneath the fair, pure white head which quickly dissolves to leave a sticky yet scattered lacing grabbing the glass.

As Stone advertises this DIPA is certainly different than the west coast standard. The hops are still generous but more floral and herbal than the standard. Still fresh and pungent and the nose leaves you anticipating some sweetness on the palate.

The German influence is certainly present with the more Pilsen style hops, fresh, floral, and herbal. There is certainly some fruity sweetness hiding in there as well. As I sample more and more it seems like the hops are really just all over meaning the floral and herbal notes also share space with citrus and even spicy hops. This is diverse to say the least.

Medium in body with a fair amount of carbonation and an herbal yet sweet palate coating finish.

Stone promises this to be a unique IPA experience and they Ae not kidding. I quite enjoyed this German inspired IPA. (1,031 characters)

More User Reviews:

Great to see thi Finally here in my area.Poured into an imperial pint glas a clear rich medium golden with a half finger white head that leaves two broken rings of lace as it settles.Leafy and mildly citric hops in the nose along with some malt, and alcohol fruitiness.The flavors are pretty complex,yeah you get some citrus and leafy hops but there is malty, almost dark fruit flavor as well along with some sugary sweetness and alcohol,the bigger chewey feel for the style is unique and pretty cool.Stone made a different beer here for their anniversary and I like it,to me it's not a big hop bomb but a DIPA with nice complexity and nuance. (643 characters)

Another new Stone beer, another new IPA. Who saw that one coming? I kid, I kid. I was excited to try this "American-ish styled and brewed IPA with German experimental hops"... Sounds interesting and different enough. Clean and clear golden-orange body - clarity is second to none here with a foamy white head that quickly disassembles into a thick collar and foamy film. Surprisingly low amount of lacing when compared to nearly every other Stone beer.

The aroma is quite grassy and contains a melange of all sorts of fruits, backed up by some mild grain and malted barley notes. Dare I say... Fruity Pebbles. Yes, the aroma smells like a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. This is a Fruity Pebbles IPA. But, strangely enough, I am okay with that. Leafy, grassy,and full of citrus, lemon, honey, tea, melon, honeysuckle, and even some fruity, berry-like aromas. It still retains its "IPA" smell, though, with a constant, injecting bitterness in the nostrils.

Hah, whooda thunk it? This fucker tastes like Fruity Pebbles, too. Only with a much heavier hand on the overall hoppage. Hop oils; dense hop oils overtake the senses as Stone's 17th anniversary beer unleashes its mad lupulin strike. Zesty fruits, citrus collage - some orange, lemon, cherry-ish notes even? I taste a little bit of wheat, too, maybe... Then again, maybe not. There's a lot of stuff going on here. I'm quite taken back by these crazy German hops.

Only mildly bitter, especially for a DIPA, though it does creep in on the back end and hits your uvula with a left jab after each sip. Oily and sticky and resinous with some very, very light Pilsner malt in the finish. Heavy carbonation that snaps the roof of your mouth and tingles your lips each time you bring the glass to your face. Nice, crisp, and clean in the ending.

You tell me, hey, try my new homebrew. It's a Fruity Pebbles flavored DIPA. I immediately shudder in thought of what that horrendous combo might taste like. But you know... it actually turned out to be pretty damn tasty. A very nice combo of fruit and herbs and hops with a good amount of tantalizing bitterness, never delving into excessive sweetness (a la RuinTen). Maybe I'm weird, since I'm the only one who enjoyed Stone's 16th, as well, but this was quite tasty. (2,257 characters)

A: A deep golden beer with good clarity and a long lasting head of fine white bubbles that leave fine lacing on the glass.

S: Sort of an Imperial Pilsner meets IPA having a medium-strong aroma of earthy, spicy hops with a medium amount of Pilsner malt aroma. There is some lemony citrus in the back along with a light floral alcohol aroma.

T: An aggressive hops bitterness with an explosion of Continental hops flavors where the spice hops flavors dominate with a strong earthy component and a moderate amount of citrus. A moderate Pils malt flavor having a graham cracker character and faint malt sweetness. The balance is very bitter. The finish is dry with an linger hops bitterness.

22 oz bottle, bottled on 7/26/13. Pours clear golden orange with a medium creamy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet malts, ripe fruits and floral, grassy, slightly resiny hops with some alcohol.

The flavor is a little sweet fruity toasted malt (slightly soapy) with a big floral, grassy, slightly resiny bitterness in the finish. There are some notes of cream ale. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, an OK DIPA, I think going German was not a wise choice. (530 characters)